The present invention relates to a door handle system of an automobile, in particular a door handle system having a damper for controlling a speed of a door opening lever returning to an initial position.
An automotive door is provided with a door handle system to operate the door. The door handle system includes a door opening lever interlocked with a latch mechanism for holding the door shut and resiliently biased by a torsion coil spring or the like toward a returning direction. When the door opening lever is pulled against the resilient bias force, the latch mechanism connected to the door opening lever is released to open the door. When the hand is removed from the door opening lever, the door opening lever automatically returns to an initial position with the resilient bias force.
A conventional door handle system occasionally makes an impulsive sound when the door opening lever briskly returns to the initial position with the resilient bias. Accordingly, in order to control a speed at which the door opening lever returns to the initial position, it has been proposed to provide a one-way damper comprising an actuator rotating along the angular movement of the door opening lever; a damping member for receiving a force of viscous oil; and a clutch member disposed between the actuator and the damping member for releasing the operative connection between the actuator and the damping member when the actuator is rotated in one direction against the resilience of an elastic part, and for conveying the rotational force of the actuator to the damping member when the actuator is rotated to the other direction by the resilience of the elastic part (see Patent Reference 1).
Patent Reference 1: Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 01-250571.
The one-way damper disclosed in Patent Reference 1, however, tends to have a complex structure, as it requires, among other elements, gear and clutch mechanisms. For this reason, any attempt to construct the door handle system so that the door opening lever does not make an impulsive sound when it returns to the initial position inevitably increases manufacturing cost.
In view of the problems described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a door handle system with a damper that can be manufactured at a relatively low cost.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.